Shelby
County enjoys one of the most comprehensive and effective
A centrally located hospital, within 30 minutes of one of the nation's premier trauma and medical hospitals, provides residents with rapid access to the most sophisticated and effective medical care that can be found.
This quick response system relies on a state of the art, computer driven, enhanced 911-telephone system. When you call for help in Shelby County, the 911 center knows the address from which the call is made, the callers name, and has available any special information about that caller or business, they wish emergency responders to know. This is available, even if the caller is unable to speak due to a medical condition or being threatened. With this system, callers are instructed by highly trained and certified 911 dispatchers, in what to do before rescue workers arrive, saving valuable minutes, or preserving evidence for law enforcement. Bob Seivert, EMT-P Coordinator
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Law enforcement and medical support- The County has nine
ambulances and two law enforcement agencies (eight person Harlan Police Dept. and the
seven person Shelby County Sheriff's Dept.). 
Rapid defibrillation, a recognized standard
that is proven to save lives, in emergency cardiac care, is provided by every community.
Every Shelby County resident is within minutes of this lifesaving tool. A centrally
located Paramedic ambulance, and highly trained emergency medical technicians, in outlying
communities are sent to a citizen's aid within minutes of being stricken. 
Firefighters
(135 in the county serving 10 departments) are
trained, not only in the latest firefighting skills, but are capable and equipped for
confined space rescue, hazardous materials incidents at the operations level, and in
managing emergencies through an incident management system. The City of Harlan fields a 75
ft.telescoping ladder truck that is capable of reaching above our tallest
structures and has a full-time fire chief. 
Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians
(8 Paramedics
and 80 EMT's in the county) provide 24-hour, seven-day-a-week advanced life-support
emergency health care coverage. If more specialized health care is needed, Harlan is only
45-minutes away from some of the Midwest's finest research hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska
& Council Bluffs, IA.